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AGRICULTURAL RELIEF
Let me digress here, before reading further. You will see we have
decided not to make a ‘‘commodity advisory council,” but to make
an advisory council for all commodities within each district. So
there will be 12 advisory councils of 7 members in each district.
In other words, there will be an advisory council to represent all
commodities in each district. For instance, in the districts where
wheat is raised, the advisory council will give particular attention to
operations upon that commodity whenever conditions justify. Wheat,
as you know, is produced all over the United States. There is some
in Pennsylvania; there is a lot in the other Eastern States; there is a
lot in the southwest, much of it being in Oklahoma, Missouri, and
all through the Middle Northwest, through Minnesota and the
Dakotas. In fact, you will find wheat is produced all over the United
States. An advisory council on wheat, specifically made up of wheat
producers, coming together might have trouble in deciding upon
what the equalizatlon fee should be, what their recommendations to
the Federal Farm Board generally might be. The organizations
represented here have concluded that it will be better to have an
advisory council in each Federal land bank district to advise with the
board with reference to any commodity in that district. It may be
suggested in the beginning that the amendment as to the “Com-
modity advisory council,” be made, in changing the name, to read
“Advisory council.”

Mr. MENGEs. Then you would have 84 members instead of 7?

Mr. Gray. There would be 84; 7 in each Federal land bank
district to advise with the Federal Farm Board; and under the
former bill there would have been seven commodity advisory
councils for as many commodities as were operated upon.

Mr. ANprRESEN. Under this plan, section 4 now reads that there
sha'l be seven members on the advisory council.

Mr. Gray. Seven members on the advisory council.

Mr. FuLmMER. For each commodity?

Mr. Gray. Yes; and in the amendment, which is suggested, we
are asking for an advisory council in each district, which will repre-
sent the public, so far as the producers of commodities are concerned,
and will have contact with the Federal Farm Board in the form of
recommendations.

In paragraph B on page 6 we are suggesting these words [reading]:

Each advisory council shall meet as soon as practicable after its selection at a

time and place designated by the board to select a chairman and secretary.
. The last sentence in paragraph B, has been cut out as you will see,
in the text before you. In the bill the board is given the power of
selecting the secretary to the council, and we think it is better if this
council is going to maintain a self-governing institution that it selects
1ts own officers.

Mr. FuLmeR. That is a good suggestion.

Mr. Gray. We have seen in a good many instances where some
outside organization has had the power of selecting the officers, and
it usually results in unpleasant developments to the group which
has its officers imposed upon it. We prefer that these advisory
councils select their own secretaries and chairman.

Going to paragraph C——

Mr. Forr. By advisory council you mean the council in each land-
bank district, that they should have a chairman and secretary?